The BBC risks endangering the future of regional newspapers with its ambitious
plans to expand news coverage, the shadow culture minister will say
tomorrow.

Jeremy Hunt, the man in charge of David Cameron's media policy, will call on the BBC Trust to reject proposals to spend millions of pounds on adding extra local news coverage on its website.

A local service is already available on the website, but coverage is patchy and the corporation wants to enhance it by adding video footage of local stories to the existing 60 BBC local websites.

In a keynote speech on public service broadcasting, Mr Hunt will say that licence fee payers' money should not be spent on duplicating news which is already being provided by local newspapers, radio stations and television channels.

He will say that the plans will stifle competition and damage its commercial rivals which are suffering during the economic downturn.

In a lecture to the London School of Economics, he will say: "In an increasingly difficult advertising market why should local newspapers have to face the additional threat of subsidised competition from the BBC? I don't think they should and I hope the BBC Trust takes a strong stance on this proposal.

Related Articles

"These proposals also threaten the development of new ultra local television services, something I think we should be helping not stifling. This is a big test for the Trust and one in which I hope they stand up to the BBC management."

The Trust, the BBC's governing body, has the final say on whether the BBC's plans will go ahead.

It is currently reviewing the proposals and will publish its provisional conclusions by November 27.

Under the plans, the number of local websites would increase to 65 and be expanded to include three daily bulletins for news, sport and weather.

The service, which the BBC wants to introduce from next year, will cost £68m over the next five years, and £23m a year thereafter.

The BBC insists that it will stay clear of local paper staples such as jobs, holidays and property, and has proposed "a self-imposed limit'' of no more than 10 local video stories a day.

However, the Newspaper Society, the trade body which represents local newspapers, has expressed fears that the plans will damage business.

"The BBC should not spend public money duplicating local news services already provided by existing local media companies," said David Newell, the society's director.

"This was acknowledged by the BBC when it withdrew its plans for ultra-local television last year. Yet proposals to strengthen the BBC's local online news services are simply ultra-local TV in a different guise."

The BBC has already come under fire for spending £36m more than it had planned on its website last year.

As one of Britain's largest websites, bbc.co.uk offers more than 200 separate sections, or "microsites", that cover subjects from parenting advice and religion to cookery tips and football transfer rumours.

Rival broadcasters claim that the size of the website's budget stifles competition and gives the BBC an unfair advantage.